(Business 2.0) – Yes, Mom and Dad, you should still encourage your kids to go into software if you want to be supported in your old age. There was a flurry of pink slips as the dotcoms busted, but only about 54,000 people in software have hit the streets since mid-2001. (This, after employment in the sector climbed 100 percent to 2 million jobs in the latter half of the 1990s.) The pain has been felt by Web analysts (whose pay is down 16 percent since August 2002) and directors of data centers (whose average salaries are off 9 percent). Yet anyone with some knowledge of data security can expect a pay hike of almost 10 percent. Others with programming skills have seen steady salary increases averaging 6.5 percent.

The drought in business spending on software seems to be ending. It's up 5 percent over last year and climbing. U.S. Department of Labor data suggests that in the decade ahead, software will add almost 2 million new jobs, making it the fastest-growing field in the economy. In fact, 8 of the 20 fastest-growing occupations will involve software. Nothing soft about that.

ELIF KIRAL was a $90,000-a-year computer applications consultant at Ernst & Young when, in 1999, she got cocky and jumped ship to make some real money with a North Carolina-based software startup called Netsco. "My dad laughed at me because I had left this big company," she remembers. "I said, 'Dad, I'm in technology. I can get a job so easily. Don't worry.'"

Father knew best. Netsco has downsized, and Kiral, now 37, is living off the last of her $405-a-week unemployment checks in her $2,100-a-month New York City apartment. She worked part-time as an office manager, but these days she's mostly pestering recruiters, who tell her she'll be lucky to land a job at half her old salary. "They say I shouldn't be picky," sighs Kiral, who is optimistic about a business plan she's drafted for her kicky home furnishings store.

"I do think things may be picking up," she says. "A friend of mine with the same skill set just got a job making $90,000. I couldn't believe it." And she is less choosy. "I have dropped all the things I used to say no to, like travel. I'm willing to do whatever again." --ELLEN NEUBORNE

JOB TYPICAL 2002 1-YEAR 3-YEAR CHANGE SALARY CHANGE (ANNUALIZED)

Systems integration $107,000 6.1% 8.0% director

Data warehouse manager $93,750 -0.8% 5.0%

Applications project manager $84,000 -1.5% 6.1%

Systems analyst $77,250 -2.4% 4.6%

Software developer $73,250 -1.7% 7.7%

Electronic games lead programmer $63,035 2.0% N/A

Help desk analyst $61,500 -4.7% 1.6%

PROJECTED SECURITY PROSPECTS SATISFACTION 2003 RAISE

[Systems integration -2.3% Average Strong Average director]

[Data warehouse manager] -1.6% Average Strong Average

[Applications project manager] 0.0% Average Strong Average

[Systems analyst] -2.9% Above avg. Strong Average

[Software developer] -2.6% Above avg. Strong Average

[Electronic games lead programmer] 3.8% Below avg. Strong Average

[Help desk analyst] -3.9% Above avg. Strong Average

For methodology, see page 89. SOURCE: Robert Half International